by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama's proposals to change National Security Agency surveillance policies are being nibbled at by people who have to sign off on some of them: members of Congress.

Some highlights from the Sunday shows:

-- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, questioned the idea of storing telephone metadata with a third party, as opposed to the NSA and the government.

"The whole purpose of this program is to provide instantaneous information to be able to disrupt any plot that may be taking place," Feinstein told NBC's Meet The Press.

-- Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's State of the Union that he agrees with Obama that NSA programs are legal and necessary. But he said too many of Obama's proposals are nebulous and require more review by Congress, federal agencies and the courts.

"We really did need a decision on Friday, and what we got was lots of uncertainty," Rogers said. "And just in my conversations over the weekend with intelligence officials, this new level of uncertainty is already having a bit of an impact on our ability to protect Americans by finding terrorists who are trying to reach into the United States."

-- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Obama did no go far enough, and that Attorney General Eric Holder will get tough privacy questions from Republicans and Democrats when he testifies about the NSA plans on Jan. 29.

"Where's all this going?" Leahy told Fox News Sunday. "You still have to have some checks and balances before you can have a government that can run amok."

-- Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., told CBS' Face The Nation that the bulk collections of phone metadata should end: "We don't need to collect phone calls of every single American on every single day."

In a highly anticipated speech on Friday, President Obama said he is seeking to balance the demands of national security with the needs of personal privacy. He also said that is an ongoing process:

Said Obama:

"When you cut through the noise, what's really at stake is how we remain true to who we are in a world that is remaking itself at dizzying speed.

"Whether it's the ability of individuals to communicate ideas; to access information that would have once filled every great library in every country in the world; or to forge bonds with people on other sides of the globe, technology is remaking what is possible for individuals, and for institutions, and for the international order.

"So while the reforms that I have announced will point us in a new direction, I am mindful that more work will be needed in the future."